Soured by what he calls a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d against Brazil\u2019s former president, Donald Trump admitted the 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods are \u201cin part\u201d retaliatory \u2013 a decision that might have a massive impact on how Americans start their days.<\/p>\n
A scathing message from U.S. President Donald Trump on July 9 sent shockwaves through Brazil, igniting a political firestorm and pushing U.S.-Brazil relations to a new low.<\/p>\n
Trump announced plans to impose tariffs of up to 50% on Brazilian imports, \u201cdue in part\u201d to the South American country\u2019s \u201cinsidious attacks\u201d on U.S. tech companies, and for conducting a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d against former President Jair Bolsonaro \u2013 a longtime Trump ally now facing prosecution for allegedly trying to overturn Brazil\u2019s 2022 election results.<\/p>\n
Brazil\u2019s Capitol riot
\nThe tension comes on the heels of the January 8, 2023, riots in Brazil, where hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil\u2019s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace \u2013 a chilling echo of the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot.<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in the chaos, much like Trump\u2019s own denial of responsibility for the events in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis Trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!\u201d the POTUS wrote in the letter posted on Truth Social.<\/p>\n
Suggesting that the country\u2019s treatment of the former president is \u201can international disgrace,\u201d he explained the 50% tariffs are \u201cnecessary\u201d to \u201crectify the grave injustices of the current regime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brazil fires back
\nTrump\u2019s aggressive move is the latest jab in an ongoing political feud with Brazil\u2019s current president, Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage,\u201d Lula da Silva fired back in a July 9 post shared on X. \u201cThe judicial proceedings against those responsible for planning the coup d\u2019\u00e9tat fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of Brazil\u2019s Judicial Branch\u2026In Brazil, freedom of expression must not be confused with aggression or violent practices,\u201d he added, referencing Trump\u2019s defence of Bolsonaro\u2019s role in the January 8 riots.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Brazilian Minister of Institutional Affairs Gleisi Hoffmann also criticized Trump: \u201cThe time when Brazil was subservient to the US was the time of Bolsonaro.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe US president should take care of his own problems, which are not few, and respect the sovereignty of Brazil and our judiciary,\u201d she added, per BBC.<\/p>\n
\u2018Brazil will sell its coffee elsewhere\u2019
\nWhile many in Brazilian politics expected Trump to voice support for Bolsonaro, few anticipated such a sweeping economic retaliation.<\/p>\n
Coffee lovers are already feeling the sting of soaring prices, with coffee costs nearing record highs after a 70% spike last year driven by tight supplies.<\/p>\n
And, in the days leading up to the massive tariff hike, coffee prices \u2013 including at-home coffee brands \u2013 started to climb again.<\/p>\n
On July 10, Arabica \u2013 grown in Brazil \u2013 futures jumped 1.3%, and industry insiders warn that that the tariffs might bring Brazilian coffee shipments to the U.S. to a standstill.<\/p>\n
\u201cA tariff of this size would all but shut down that flow. Brazilian exporters won\u2019t absorb it. U.S. roasters can\u2019t,\u201d said senior coffee broker and consultant Michael Nugent, owner of California-based MJ Nugent & Co, told Reuters. \u201cBottom line: Brazil will sell its coffee elsewhere. The U.S. will buy coffee from someone else \u2013 Colombia, Honduras, Peru, Vietnam \u2013 but not at Brazil\u2019s volume or price,\u201d Nugent said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Better value\u2019
\nBrazil is the world\u2019s top coffee producer \u2014 and the U.S. is its biggest customer, with nearly 200 million Americans drinking coffee daily.<\/p>\n
And, according to Reuters, in 2024 alone, the U.S. imported 8.14 million 60-kg bags (132 pounds each) from Brazil \u2013 accounting for a staggering 33% of the nation\u2019s total coffee consumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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